Cta Votes To Buy Buses

After more than a year of delays and legal challenges, the Chicago Transit Authority board voted Wednesday to bolster its aging bus fleet by purchasing 491 new vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts.

An $85.5 million contract, which includes a provision for spare parts, will be awarded to Transportation Manufacturing Corp. of Roswell, N.M., if the Regional Transportation Authority does not block the acquisition.

The RTA, the CTA`s parent agency, earlier this year refused to provide funds for the purchase of any lift-equipped buses for 120 days pending a study of lifts and formulation of standards to measure the success of a proposed CTA experiment.

One RTA official said he believes the regional agency`s board will allow the ban to expire on July 7 if the CTA provides a viable plan for implementing the proposed lift experiment.

The CTA board also voted to buy 149 more lift-equipped buses in the next year.